Indy Christian .com -- Daily Internet Starting-line

Why IndyChristian.com ?

Why a daily internet start-page for Indy?

Think of what Jesus prayed for us -- loving harmony in the ONE name of Christ... to be our calling-card identity as His Church... as we flourish & accomplish the Great Commission... together.

But in the final analysis, do our onlooking neighbors see the Church as unified, warm & loving? And as a result, are we really being effective as the early Church was effective?

Consider these very different prayers...

Jesus' Prayer: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one..." (John 17)

Too Often, An Individual Christian Prayer: "Lord, help us wisely choose a different church. You know how this one just isn't meeting our needs. You know our needs for a ______ type of church with an _____ time & ___ type & ____ length of service, with an _____ type of pastor who has an ____ type of preaching and ____ particular doctrine, clean nurseries & restrooms to be sure, ____ age kids for our kids. Lord you know we're not hard to please -- we'll drive wherever you send us. But just please help us find a church with people just like ourselves so we'll fit in perfectly. And now help my neighbors to find just such a church as perfectly suits them, too... so they can accept your Word, and not go to hell. Amen."

Too Often, The Individual Church's Prayer: "May our church grow in number... no matter how far we have to drive... or how many other churches (or neighbors) we have to drive by to get here. Help us to put on every program to meet every spoken need. Lord provide for our financial needs; they are many, and you know how hard it is to provide everything that all these people are expecting of us. Please send us spiritually-gifted, talented, and resourced folks -- from other congregations if that's your will. And if anyone in our city wants to know you, may they come some Sunday. Help our ____ style of service be just exactly what they like so they're turn to you as Lord and Savior of their lives. And until then Lord, help them be patient and not critical, until they can better see and understand the importance of our particular doctrine. Build us up, bless our programs, and equip our people so that someday we may be able to care for the poor and be salt & light in our city.... and someday go out and snatch some souls out of the fire. [And Father, if it be your will, bless these other churches in town so that someday they'll see our model and know how to better build their churches too.] Oh, and help us to love one another within our particular flock. It's really hard at times within our busy, commuter church. We pray all this in the precious name of the ONE who LOVED US so much... Amen"

Too Often, Our Neighbors' Prayer: "Good lord, will ya keep all these zillion different kinds of supposed Christians away from my door and off my tv! Nobody has a corner on Truth, right? So Truth must be relative -- and just look at 'em all, each with their own truth. Hey my truth might be just as good as any of theirs. So I think me & my truth will just sleep in this morning if ya don't mind, Lord. At least I ain't no hypocrite. Bye for now. Talk to you next week."

Too Seldom, II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."

Why IndyChristian.com? Certainly IndyChristian.com is not the ultimate answer to the fractured American Church. We're just as guilty as others at being human and sinful and having our own preferences too. But just as God gave the Guttenburg press to help change the paradigm of the time, now He's given another great tool in this age we live in... the internet. And at least we we can put up a centralized site where we can start 'sketching an online model' of what a citywide tapestry of Christ-followers could and should be.

Then little by little, TOGETHER, we can aspire to be more like Jesus called us to be... 'ONE'... red, yellow, black & white, rich, poor, old, young, urban, suburban, men, women, children, baptistic, reformed, charismatic, contemporary, traditional, hip-hop, rap, southern gospel, hands, no-hands. What we have in common is Christ as Lord, and how we know it is because we're 'Bible-believing'.

IndyChristian.com is not about a website, it's about a web-strategy (to model a real-world strategy)... a network... a tapestry... a 'fishing net' rather than individual poles. Remember: Only sport fishermen fish with poles.

And as we connect in cyberspace, may we also regularly connect on the ground... meeting together and building real-world relationships between Bible-believing churches & ministries... and working together in the Great Commission in practical ways... community by community... neighborhood by neighborhood... for greater prayer, care & share... glorifying God and enjoying Him... together.

We believe that providing an Indianapolis portal -- a cyber center-point to regularly start our internet-day -- will help us learn from one another and effectively work toward a common vision for the Church of Jesus Christ in Greater Indianapolis. And perhaps become a model for other cities. This may not be the best way, but it's the best way we can think of for now. May God increasingly bless Indy with biblical unity.

IndyChristian.com's Prayer: "May our neighbors know we are Christians by our love, for each other and for them."

"Oh... And Lord, may our friends leave 'comments' below, to help us know how to better accomplish your will for our oneness & effectiveness."

Connect with us?

Neil Cox, Founder (bio & email)
IndyChristian.com

[Posted as of our founding date -- Nov. 1, 1999 -- but actually written January 2005.]

posted by IndyChristian @ 10:47 AM